1. Gas giants and terrestrial planets
The Planets
Gas giants and terrestrial planets

2. Bellringer! They’re all mixed up!
Gas Giants
Both
Terrestrial Planets
Saturn
Uranus
Mercury
Smaller
Have a crust, mantle, and core
Outside asteroid belt
Have deep atmospheres
Earth
Revolve around the sun
Spherical
Rotate on an axis
Jupiter
Generally more moons
Rings
Mars
Venus
Inside asteroid belt
Inside the Kuiper Belt
Generally less moons
No rings
Neptune
Larger

3. Check Your Work! Gas Giants Both Terrestrial Planets Jupiter Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Larger
Outside asteroid belt
Generally more moons
Rings
Have deep atmospheres
Revolve around the sun
Spherical
Inside the Kuiper Belt
Rotate on an axis
Mars
Earth
Mercury
Venus
Have a crust, mantle, and core
Smaller
Inside asteroid belt
Generally less moons
No rings

4. Mercury Closest planet to the Sun
Heavily cratered due to thinner atmosphere
Massive iron core surrounded by volcanic rock
Largest differences in temperature between day and night

5. Venus Closest in size to Earth Has the opposite rotation as Earth
Surface covered in volcanoes
Atmosphere is toxic and full of greenhouse gases.
Sulfuric acid rain, extremely high pressure, and hottest temperatures of any planet make it off limits to human exploration.

6. Check In
How does Mercury’s thin atmosphere contribute to how many craters it has?
Tip: Think about the differences between a meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite.
How does the geography of Venus’s surface contribute to its hostile climate?
Tip: The green house gasses on Earth are the same as you would find on Venus. Where would these gases come from on Venus?

7. Earth
Home, Sweet, Home
Liquid water and moderate temperature make it ideal for life.
Only planet with active tectonic plates
Moon
Gravity is 1/6 of Earth
Same side is always facing Earth because it’s rotation period equals its revolution period.

8. Mars Dusty, rocky surface littered with volcanic boulders.
Orange-red because of iron in the dust.
Geography includes volcanoes, craters, and canyons.
Once had flowing water.
Thin atmosphere composed of carbon dioxide.

9. Check In
All terrestrial planets have a rocky surface. Why can’t we land rovers on every terrestrial planet?
Tip: Think about the geography of each planet.
What would be the biggest obstacle in colonizing Mars? Is there a way we can over come it?
Tip: Compare it’s atmosphere to Earth, now think about the process of cellular respiration.

10. Reflection - RAFT
Role: Rover on the way to Venus
Audience: The NASA control room
Format: DM chat
Topic: What you are seeing, smelling, hearing, and feeling on your journey

11. Neil Degrasse Tyson on Planetary Weather
Bell Ringer Video

12. Jupiter Largest and most massive planet in the solar system
Fastest rotating planet
Strong winds create strange weather
Great Red Spot – Storm that has been turning for 350+ years
Has over 60 moons
Some volcanic, some icy

13. Saturn Second largest planet, but less dense than water.
Thin but extensive rings consist of orbiting particles. Gaps between ring bands are occupied by moons.
Some moons have water geysers, some have methane lakes.

14. Check In
What does Saturn’s density tell you about its gravitational force compared to Jupiter?
Hint: Density increases when mass increases, and density decreases when mass decreases.
Why are the wind speeds on gas giant planets so much greater than on terrestrial planets?
Hint: It has nothing to do with size.

15. Uranus
Uranus is tilted 98° on its axis. That makes seasons last 21 years!
Tilt may have been caused by the gravity of Jupiter and Saturn or by close encounters with Neptune.
Methane gas gives it its blue-green color.
Has 27 moons

16. Neptune Most distant planet from the sun.
Blue color is due to methane gas and thinner atmosphere.
Strongest winds of any planet.
Weather may be controlled by an internal heat source, rather than the sun.
Has 13 moons
Triton orbits the opposite way and is slowly spiraling in toward Neptune.

17. Check In
Describe what will happen to Triton as it continues its orbit pattern?
Hint: How does that attraction between Triton and Neptune change as its orbits?
How would Earth be affected if our axial tilt was like Uranus’s?
Hint: How would it affect the North and South Poles?